Growling 'Verse
by luvsbitca
Summary: There is nothing new here. This is the chronological version of my Growling 'Verse. It is all the other things I have written being put into chronological order for ease of reading. As promised. Being edited to fix the bad before added.
1. Priority

**Title: **Growling 'Verse  
**Author: **Moonbeam (luvsbitca)  
**Summary: **There is nothing new here.  
This is the chronological version of my Growling 'Verse. It is all the other things I have written being put into chronological order for ease of reading. As promised.  
Being edited to fix the bad before added.  
**Warnings: **Stupid oblivious people? and some hurt/comfort running around  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the ramblings of my brain.  
**Author's Notes: **I do apologise, I know I have told people I'd do this for a while, but I'm almost finished the whole thing and university is finished for the year so I have time to actually edit it properly while I finish the story completely. I know it was very confusing as it was but I never, ever intending this to be as big as it had ended up being. I blame Stiles.  
Please remember this is season one compliant only. **I have not seen the second season yet.**

**Growling 'Verse**  
by Moonbeam

**01 - OMITARW – 05 – Priority (Two months after season 1 finale six months before Five Times)**

Stiles and Scott drove up to Derek's house and found a number of trucks and workmen in the yard.

Stiles turned to Scott. "What is going on?"

"I don't know dude."

They got out of the car and made their way towards the house. Derek met them half way.

"What's happening Derek?" Stiles asked.

"They are here to work on the house."

Stiles dropped his jaw deliberately. "You mean you are not going to spend the rest of time living in a burned out shell of a house?"

"Shut up Stiles."

"Or what?" Stiles grinned.

"I'll rip your throat out," Derek shrugged.

"Are they rebuilding the whole thing?" Scott asked not wanting to witness another one of the arguments where Stiles baited Derek because he now knew the alpha wasn't going to maul him and Derek got annoyed.

"No just the main structure some of it I can do myself and you will all help of course."

"Help? Build?" Scott asked unsure.

"Yes, once they have checked the foundation and put up the things that we cannot do the rest of us can finish. Pack building exercise." Derek added firmly.

Derek grabbed Stiles' arm when he looked like he wanted to walk into the construction zone.

"Now that we are a pack having a base is a priority." Derek said as his only explanation.

/ / /


	2. Wealth

**02 - OMITARW – 03 – Wealth (Before)**

"Derek?"

"Yes Stiles." Derek turned around and looked at Stiles with confusion; the younger man had walked into his kitchen and oddly enough sounded cautious which was not a tone Derek was used to.

"Okay, so don't get mad. We were talking and we were wondering. You are doing all this work to the house and well, you don't live here, you live somewhere but not here since we have seen all the rooms and there are no beds and well I am just wondering. Well..."

Stiles stopped talking and was just gesturing wildly with his hands.

"Stiles, are you trying to ask me how I can afford to rebuild the house and live somewhere else as well?" Derek asked wanting to end the uncomfortable way that Stiles was talking to him. He didn't mind when Stiles babbled uncontrollably but the way he was standing uncomfortably and talking stiltedly was making Derek uncomfortable too.

"Yes." Stiles answered quietly.

"I live in a cabin further into the woods. It is where my nana and grandad lived when I was little before they died. Laura and I called it the Huntsman's Cottage." Stiles laughed and Derek tried to hold back a grin. "My family owns the entire wooded area around Beacon Hills and a number of the buildings in town; we hold them through a shell company so that we could maintain our distance and protect our secrets. I own a number of buildings in LA, as well as some around Berkley which I rent to students, I own a few in New York because Laura wanted to move there after university. I own a couple of companies that do various things. Most of my business interests are dealt with by an uncle who is not a wolf and not an uncle who only comes to town a couple times a year. I normally visit him in San Francisco. I have started taking over more though lately."

"Oh...can I see the Huntsman's Cottage?" Stiles asked.

"Maybe."

"Excellent." Stiles beamed sure that he would get to see this cottage. "So, want to know what we came up with for suggestions? Hey, are you hungry. I am. Can I make a sandwich?"

"I'll make it." Derek said moving towards the kitchen, the first room they had worked on so that the pack could eat while working.

"I can do it."

"Stiles, sit down!"

"Okay." Stiles sat down at the table and watched as Derek made them both a giant ham and salad sandwich. "Lydia thinks you are actually a Romanian prince. Allison said you were related to some guy named Jonathon Hale who is apparently some rich guy who does something."

"He is a distant relative, down a non-wolf branch of the tree. He handles a couple of my buildings in New York."

"Are you also a Romanian prince?"

"Not as far as I know." Derek grinned as he sat across from Stiles and put down the sandwich and a bottle of water in front of him.

"Oh well. Jackson wasn't sure, either you were living off what your parents left you or you are working to buy the materials and that is why we are building the place and not some builders."

"I worked as a builder for a while with one of my friend's fathers all through high school after... So, we are building because it will bring us together as a pack. We need to do things together and learn how to be a team."

"That's sort of what I told him." Stiles said. "Scott agreed with Allison, great shock."

"And..."

"What?" Stiles asked demolishing half his sandwich.

"How did you think I was getting the money to pay for my house?"

"Lots of things. Selling pot, modelling in Japan, ghost writing teen werewolf novels, Bollywood actor, lecturer of growling at the local werewolf college. You know the usual." Stiles said with a grin.

Derek laughed at Stiles and when they were finished he moved towards the sink to dump their plates.

"Derek?" Stiles asked with barely hidden excitement and worry.

"Yes?" Derek didn't bother to turn around.

"Can we finish watching Peter Pan?" Stiles smiled when Derek turned at looked at him.

"Fine."

"I cannot believe you have never seen Peter Pan, so wrong."

"So you said last time."

"Okay. Well when Lydia dropped by and we had to turn it off in case she found out you were watching a cartoon we were up to the bit where Wendy..." Derek grabbed a bag of Cheezels and followed Stiles into the lounge room where Jackson had set up a TV when they had set the generator up for the kitchen. The only two complete rooms, even though at the moment all the lounge room had was a mattress on the floor, enough camp chairs for each of the wolves as well as Stiles and Allison and the enormous TV.

/ / /


	3. SATs

**03 - FTDGASAOTHE – 01 – SATs**

Stiles is silly smart, he has just never been able to focus. On the day he took his SATs he swallowed a handful of Adderall, was laser focussed for three hours then got home and passed out for sixteen. His dad hadn't noticed, he'd been at work, got home later and thought his son was simply asleep.

Derek called him the next morning, demanded his presence at his half-rebuilt house and hung up. Stiles had been an honorary part of the pack for over a year and had been helping Derek rebuild the house since he had become the alpha; when he decided that he had roots here now so he needed to fix his house.

Getting a call demanding help was not unusual but generally speaking there was some warning and Scott would have called him to let him know what was coming. For some reason Stiles was always the last person called – Lydia, who refused to do any heavy lifting and just tried to tell others what to do, was called before him. At least Stiles was helpful, he hoped.

Stiles groaned, even after all that sleep he still felt a little groggy, could have probably used another couple hours sleep to get the rest of the medication out of his system but if he wasn't at Derek's place within the hour Derek would make him do something unpleasant. His threats of bodily torture were no longer believable – he had never followed through even for all the threats but the older man was inventive when it came to punishments.

Stiles dragged himself from bed, stumbled into the shower under tepid water with his hand wrapped around his cock getting some of the need out of his body before he had to spend the rest of the day seeing Derek building, flexing and sweating shirtless. This orgasm wouldn't prevent him from spending the entire day semi-hard but it would save him from spending the whole day so fucking horny he would have to run home when he went to collect lunches to jerk off quickly so he could go back again. Only took two days working on the house for Stiles to work out this method of getting through the day.

Scott always smirked at him when he arrived knowing why his friend smelt of release, Jackson said nothing, hopefully assuming he was just a teenager who was permanently horny, Lydia only made fun of him once before Derek growled out the order that sex lives were not to be discussed; they all needed some privacy. Every time Stiles arrived he was met with a growl from Derek and he still expected the growl to turn into something more when the alpha finally worked out who Stiles was thinking about when he came all over himself in the shower.

It took Stiles twenty-five minutes to drive to Derek's house, ten minutes to stop in and get the doughnuts which were his responsibility in the morning so Stiles arrived with ten minutes to spare but saw no other cars in front of the house.

Stiles got out of the jeep and walked inside, the downstairs of the house was complete, the second storey still basically a skeleton but soon they would be able to start adding walls and then the roof. Lydia had already declared herself decorator but Stiles had a feeling she would not be getting her way with the inside; Derek obviously had very precise taste.

Stiles had just put the doughnuts down when he was pushed against the wall and Derek invaded his space to sniff at him, along his neck, behind his ear. Stiles moved his head, baring his neck knowing what the action meant, could mean if only he was being manhandled for another reason. Stiles wished desperately that Derek was doing it for that reason and he'd willingly submit, he'd repeat the action willingly if Derek ever asked.

"If you ever do that again Stiles I will string you up and beat you." Derek growled into his neck.

Stiles tried not to find the idea of being tied up and spanked so alluring but he was a kinky bastard and anything Derek could want to do to him he would try.

"I'm sorry; I didn't think you'd ever find out. I have to do it. But I promise to think about something else next time." Stiles stuttered trying to ignore the blood flowing down.

"You do not have to do it Stiles, it's dangerous."

"It was only dangerous if you found out. Who told you? Scott?" Stiles started mentally cursing his best friend for ratting him out.

"Scott let you do it? How the hell could he not stop you?"

"He couldn't stop me, he said it was a bad idea but I cannot believe he told you."

"Who knows what could happen to you if you do it that much."

"I only do it a couple times a day, Okay so it's every day and the days I'm here more but I am still technically a teenager so it's probably fairly normal."

"Putting something like that in your body is not normal Stiles." Derek accompanied this growl with his death glare.

"What? Putting what I…so? Load of people do it?"

"A handful is too much Stiles."

"Not a handful just a couple fingers." Stiles could feel the heated flush sweeping over his skin.

"What?" Derek scrunched his eyebrows and glared.

"What? Lots of people do it."

"What the hell are you drinking as well as overdosing on that fucking shit Stiles?"

"What?" Stiles face scrunched up in confusion.

"How the hell could you take that much Adderall? You overdosed Stiles." Derek's voice just dropped into a true growl, low, dangerous and animalistic. Stiles could feel it right down to his cock.

Stiles took a moment to think about what was said. Derek was not talking about the fact Stiles jacked off routinely to thoughts of the alpha wolf, that the black haired man was the main source of fantasy…that was a lie; he was all Stiles thought about when he had a hand wrapped around his cock or fingers inside himself wishing it was Derek. Stiles shook himself, Derek was talking about the Adderall, what about the drug?

"Are you talking about yesterday, with the SATs? Because it was totally under control."

"How is that under control?"

"Just enough to ensure focus for the length of the test I think I aced it too."

"By seriously overdosing on drugs?"

"Not seriously, and it's not like its fucking crack or something, just some Adderall."

"Which is basically speed Stiles."

"I had to do well Derek. I cannot concentrate for three hours intensely like that and I had to do well for my dad, for me. I wanted to make him proud dude."

Derek scrubbed his hand over his face. "Stiles, you just can't do that it's dangerous."

"I-"

"I forbid you from abusing the Adderall again like that Stiles, take it only as directed do you understand?"

"You cannot order me around when I am not even a fucking member of the pack Derek. Not really."

Derek slapped Stiles upside the back of the head. "Are you honestly that stupid?"

"What?"

"You are part of the pack Stiles, you are annoying but you are a member of this pack, you don't want to be a werewolf but that doesn't change the fact you are still a member."

"Really?"

"Yes, now if I find out you have abused again I will rip your throat out. Understood?"

"Okay Derek." Stiles felt his chest swell with happiness.

"Is anyone else coming?" Stiles asked as Derek opened the doughnut box.

"No, why?"

"Thought we were working on the house, thank God we aren't I am tired still. Suddenly exhausted."

"Mattress is still in the … can't remember what Lydia calls it. Was the play room."

"You rock so hard you are almost sedimentary Derek." Stiles grinned at him and bounded away to collapse on the mattress Derek kept in case any of the pack needed to crash; Stiles could not work out how it always smelt like Derek never any of the other wolves. He didn't care, he wallowed in the smell as he fell asleep.

Derek inhaled a couple doughnuts. He was annoyed at Stiles, but he was not furious like he had been last night when he had popped in to see Stiles and realised that the boy reeked of the drug and was in an unnatural sleep. He had perched on the windowsill for hours to make sure he was okay. Halfway through the third doughnut the conversation caught up with him.

"What the hell did Stiles think I was talking about?" Derek asked the empty room.

/ / /


	4. Fight

**04 - FTDGASAOTHE – 02 – Fight**

"Run!" Derek growled at Stiles, his hand on Stiles' lower back pushing him towards the house.

"What? What's wrong?" Stiles was running with his face craned around and his eyes on Derek who was transforming as he pushed Stiles.

Stiles tripped and fell, Derek growled gripped his shoulder, claws breaking the skin and lifted him so he could push the human towards the house again.

"Lock yourself downstairs and do not come out for any reason Stiles. Go."

"But..."

"Go!" It was the first order Derek had ever given that Stiles truly felt compelled to follow which could also have something to do with the unfamiliar howl he could hear in the distance.

Stiles ran inside and down to the werewolf proof room Derek had shown him in the basement; safe from anything that could happen.

/ / / / \ \ \ \

Derek had sent everyone home after another day of painting the downstairs rooms but had asked Stiles to stay. He had explained there were some things that the younger man needed to know. He had lead Stiles downstairs into the basement. Before any of the wolves, and Stiles, were invited out to help the basement had been completed but they had never come down, thinking there was nothing there. The room at the back of the basement looked uninteresting. Stiles was wrong.

Derek had growled at Stiles' running commentary about being taken down to the basement to the killing floor, and tied up down there, asked if Derek needed help moving the body, if this was where the alpha was growing the pot to fund the whole rebuild. Stiles did not stop talking until Derek had opened the boring wooden door cutting the basement in half and stood aside. Stiles noticed that the front and back of the door looked like wood but the centre was definitely metal, probably solid.

"Oh God, you have a panic room?" Stiles had walked in.

"It's werewolf proof, we can lock any of us up in here. Or you."

"Me?" Stiles turned around from looking at the little bed in the corner, little fridge and sink in the other, the shower and toilet behind another door. It was all sturdy, all bolted down, all designed to put up a bit of a fight against a werewolf.

"If one of us goes rabid, if something happens you come down here and lock yourself in, there is a satellite phone in the metal box up there." Derek pointed at the roof to the right of the door. "There is enough food to get you through for a while and the walls are reinforced. Something happens do not do something stupid, get yourself down here and lock yourself in tight so the rest of us can handle it."

"Derek I am not useless. I can help."

"I know you are not useless. But you are also human and if it comes down to it get yourself in here."

"Fine." Stiles had walked out then, annoyed at always being the weak, useless member of the pack, hell not even a proper member of the pack – the only non-werewolf. Even though he didn't want to be turned he still felt like he was less because he was not one. Derek had built a room because he was so useless in a fight he needed to be protected.

Stiles was so mad he ignored Derek's voice calling to him as he walked upstairs and drove away still seething.

/ / / / \ \ \ \

Stiles could hear snarling, howling and the occasional growl from within the panic room. The floor shook as the two wolves outside tried to kill each other. The whole thing made no sense. Since Derek had taken over they had seen only one other werewolf, an old friend of Derek's dad come to check out the pack.

Derek had said it was an observation of power, to see if the pack was strong and cohesive. Scott had been confused but Stiles got it. If the pack wasn't strong, wasn't a team, then another pack could come in and take them over. Stiles hadn't been worried about any of it, he just shrugged and said Derek was strong enough to show he was the man and asked if there were any particular things that they should or should not do. Derek had told him that Stiles was not allowed to be there, that he had to stay away from the house for a week before the man arrived and was not to step foot in the woods for the entire visit. It was the second time in a week that Derek had made Stiles feel useless; he couldn't even be around to be seen as part of the pack. Stiles had just nodded and left them to the conversation about customs of another pack leader visiting. He made them all lunch, tried not to be offended, tried to justify it all to himself, he was not a werewolf, not a werewolf member of the pack so he had no place there. It was really only Derek's acceptance that allowed him to be a part of everything, part of the pack. He needed to stop assuming that he was in any way a part of the deeper bond that the werewolves shared.

The visit came and went, Stiles bored out of his brain without the other wolves and the pack to keep him busy. He cleaned the house three times and then his dad hid the vacuum cleaner. He went running, a lot, but he wasn't allowed near the woods and that was his favourite place to run. He was bored out of his hyperactive mind. As soon as the visit was over Stiles appeared at Derek's house with three bags worth of groceries and set about cooking a feast for his pack. He might not get to meet other people but he knew he was the only member of the pack with any culinary skills. He'd just have to keep reminding them all why they kept him around.

Stiles had already unpacked everything and was crushing the garlic when he felt Derek behind him.

"Hey, thought I'd cook I know you were having a meeting about the whole visit thing, Scott told me. Hope it's okay." Stiles kept himself in check not wanting to ramble. Not wanting to annoy Derek.

"Yeah, I dropped by last night to tell you about it. Your dad answered told me he'd tell you."

"I haven't seen him. He probably wrote it down somewhere. Why didn't you call my mobile?"

"I did, Scott answered, said he'd tell you." Derek said grabbing a carrot from the fridge.

Stiles smiled. "I'm making lasagne."

"Excellent. Need help?"

"Sure, cut the onions?" Stiles hated cutting onions, they always made him cry.

Derek and Stiles worked together in the kitchen, the rest of the pack slowly arriving and crowding into the kitchen to try and steal food. Stiles slapped them out of the way and Derek growled making them stop in their tracks and retreat to the table to watch and chat.

"God I missed you." Lydia said kissing his cheek when she joined them.

Derek made a confirming noise next him and Stiles relaxed even though he had not realised he was tense.

"When that pompous idiot was here we had to eat everything raw. Disgusting." Lydia said snagging some carrot from the salad before Derek growled at her to sit down and keep her hands to herself.

"It's a wolf thing." Derek explained placing the garlic bread next to Stiles so he could put it in the oven when the lasagne was about ready to be served.

"It's not a this wolf thing." Lydia's replied as she walked from the room now that everything was in the oven. "Scott are you inviting Allison to dinner?"

"We have wolf business to discuss, make sure she gives us at least forty-five minutes. That okay with you Stiles?"

"Huh? What?"

"That too much time for the lasagne?" Derek asked again.

"No, almost perfect."

"Good, call and then get your arse in there Scott. We have a lot to fill Stiles in on." Stiles trailed behind Derek grinning as the other three wolves just rolled their eyes.

/ / / / \ \ \ \

"Stiles?" Derek's vice made it through the wall.

"Derek? Are you okay?"

"Fine, he's gone you can come out when you are ready."

Stiles automatically opened the door and looked at Derek, covered in blood. Shit. Stiles moved forward, grabbed the wolf and dragged him back inside and then pushed him onto the bed.

"What if the other wolf had over powered me, maybe I should install a camera or something so you can be sure." Derek said in a gruff voice as Stiles walked towards the tiny bathroom.

"You'd never let someone convince you to hurt one of us." Stiles popped his head back out and grinned and Derek was stunned at the absolute faith Stiles puts in him.

Stiles got the first aid kit, cut the rest of Derek's shirt off and pulled it from the wounds. Claw marks in his shoulder, teeth marks down his arm, his wrist looked broken, and there was a great gash running through the tattoo on his back. Stiles started to clean them. Antiseptic first. He knew Derek would heal, knew the werewolf could probably heal without being cleaned up first but Stiles could do this, he might not be able to fight, not really, but he could do this.

"I get it now."

"What?" Derek jerked like he was woken up.

"I get why you built it. I was pissed before but I know I am too weak. I know I cannot defend myself against a werewolf, not like you guys. I get that you were trying to protect me. Thank you." Stiles couldn't look Derek in the eye when he said it but he appreciated all that Derek has done for him here.

"I didn't build it just to protect you."

"Huh?" The wound down Derek's back made Stiles want to hug the alpha, wrap him up tight and comfort him which was just too sappy for words.

"You survived against my uncle, repeatedly, because you are smart and strong. I know whatever comes you will be there too. Fighting with the rest of us. If the hunters decide to come at us again you will be there alongside us."

"Then why?" Stiles rubbed dirt out of the wounds on Derek's arm but looked up questioningly for a moment.

"You didn't hear me. You can lock us up in here too. You are the smartest member of the pack, the most capable. Lydia is smart but you kept Scott alive and away from a rabid alpha for a long time. If something goes down I trust you to make the right choices, even if it was me you had to lock up. That's why I only told you."

"Shit." Stiles sat down next to Derek heavily. Derek trusted Stiles to do what was right for the pack, trusted him enough to have something to use against him, their alpha, which was fucking hard core. It took Stiles a few minutes to comprehend it all.

"I will do what I can to protect everyone." Stiles looked Derek in the eye when he made the promise.

"I know." This time it was Stiles who was shocked at the level of trust placed in him but he shook himself and got back to patching Derek up. He cleaned his back, covered the worst of it all to keep it clean and then had to cut off Derek's pants because they were shredded to shit as well. He was professional as he cleaned and covered the long gouges down his left thigh and the bite marks all over his calves. When he was done though he cannot help running his eyes over Derek, pretending that he was just checking for injuries and checking his work. He couldn't lie to himself though, he was just cataloguing everything for later when he is alone like the insane pervert that he was.

When Stiles eyes make it to Derek's face he found it tilted, scenting the air like normal. 'Oh God please don't notice how horny I am' is all that ran through Stiles' head.

Derek's hand reached out quickly and gripped Stiles' shirt, pulling at the neckline until it ripped. Stiles' brain short circuited and his entire body spasmed at the possibility of what that could mean.

"You're hurt." Derek growled out and Stiles followed the alpha's eyes to his shoulder where there was a bleeding claw shaped wound. Now he could see it the pain was finally registering and he knew without looking that there were four more on the back of his shoulder and a matching one on his other shoulder.

"I didn't notice, I'll just clean it." Stiles started to pull away but Derek held him in place.

"No!" Derek's growl was even more feral this time. He swaps spots with Stiles before Stiles realised what was going on and the electric blue eyed alpha was suddenly looming over him.

Derek picked up the bottle of antiseptic and swiped gently at the wounds. When Stiles' hissed at the sting Derek growled low and quiet in response annoyed at himself. After each wound had been carefully cleaned and a band-aid had been placed over each one Derek rubbed his face and he looked so broken when Stiles caught his eyes that he reached out to wrap a hand around Derek's arm. Derek flinched away.

"No. This is why. I am dangerous. I hurt you." Derek growled with a scowl on his face.

"Yeah because I am clumsy and there was a werewolf coming to put the smack down on you. Why was there a werewolf here to try and kick your arse?"

"I don't know. You need to leave."

"What? Hell no. I came for a 'Die Hard' marathon and I demand to be satisfied." Stiles flushed at the double entendre.

"You shouldn't be here Stiles. I am dangerous."

"No, you were protecting me and it will heal. No problems. Come on, you need new clothes and I need British sounding German super villains and popcorn."

Stiles turned and headed for the stairs grabbing the ruined clothes and balling them up around the bloody wipes and rubbish to be thrown away outside while he collected the popcorn machine from his car.

Derek growled behind him and when Stiles came back with the popcorn machine he found the door locked.

"Go away Stiles." Derek's voice carried through the door.

"Don't be stupid Derek I am safer with you than anywhere." Stiles pulled his keys from his pocket, fit his copy of Derek's in the lock and let himself in while Derek swore.

Derek slinked upstairs sulking. He needed to remember, always remember, that he hurt everything he cared about and Stiles was human. He was also a stubborn, annoying brat who would never allow himself to be pushed out or walk away so Derek was going to have to just keep making sure nothing, especially not himself, hurt Stiles ever again.

/ / /


	5. University

**05 - FTDGASAOTHE – 03 – University**

At the start of senior year Stiles had looked at universities in California, close enough to come home to his dad but far enough away to ensure at least a little autonomy. He looked at the courses offered knowing he needed to pick things that would interest him or he'd be screwed. He had done amazingly on the SATs, though when he bragged about it Derek had growled long, low and loud. Still obviously a tender subject even though Stiles had been very careful ever since to take the medication with care. Stiles had his heart set on Berkeley, three hour drive offering journalism and folklore – since his life was werewolves and they captivated him then integrating it in the studies would make it easier to focus. Plus, Stiles knew himself well enough to know that he loved unravelling things. He would need to go and see if they ended up being for him but it was a place to start. He would only be able to go if he could get a scholarship, his grades were there but who knew. His teachers probably didn't have great things to say about him. So he had a list of backups. While he was in the zone he had written his admissions letters and saved them. The greatest trick in his fight against his own brain was to do things the second he was focussed on them and never, ever leave things until later.

Months passed and the actual process of writing and sending applications began so he pulled them out, checked them and sent them all off.

Derek had decided to train him, teach him how to defend himself since the house was finally finished, mostly Lydia decoration free, and training was changing among the werewolves so all that was left was to really get into trying to train the untrainable. As soon as the pack formed Derek instigated training sessions and Stiles was included. For about two weeks. He was included only until it was made obvious that he was dangerous. Stiles had always been a little clumsy; he could hurt himself and fall over when standing still and putting Derek in the mix made him so nervous he was constantly having trouble controlling his limbs.

So, Stiles was put in a more organisational role, he became the person who fed and watered everyone, did the research, just generally came up with new ways to test the wolves, sat off to the side and kept up a running commentary of the fights, awarded points and then declared grand champion. Derek was always the grand champion; which was probably why he only growled a little when Stiles started with his running commentary, putting on his best impersonation of whoever commentated the football games his dad watched. He thoroughly enjoyed the competition even if it started in his head. Scott was the first to become invested and then the whiteboard had appeared in the basement where Stiles started keeping track of all the different games, activities and exercises that they routinely competed on.

Stiles had come into his own when it came to weapons training though. Derek had looked terrified, hell, everyone but Scott had looked terrified when Stiles had walked over, picked up the rifle and aimed. Derek had actually smiled, a full proper smile when he saw the way Stiles hit every target before shooting the apple core out of Jackson's hand.

"Take that bitches!" Stiles proclaimed as he blew on the barrel. Scott had fallen over laughing at the look on the other three werewolves' faces.

Really it was stupid of them to be so surprised; his dad was a cop, he had been taught to respect guns and then when old enough how to clean, shot and look after them. Scott was an okay shot but Stiles beat every one of the werewolves with any firearm and as it turned out he was pretty good with other projectile weapons too. Alison was not the only one who knew how to use a crossbow now.

In the two years since Derek had become alpha the four wolves had become a strong, well trained and cohesive team. They were a family but apparently the fact Stiles was useless in a fight now needed to be solved. As a result, three nights a week Stiles had to go to Derek's house and train with the werewolf, yet another situation where Stiles was constantly reminded he had fallen in desperate lust with the alpha and wanted him so badly he was constantly aroused. Just what he needed really.

Stiles was never late until the night he had come home for a quick shower and jerk before going and meeting Derek to find his dad at home waiting for him; he shouldn't be at home it was a night shift day.

"Dad?" Stiles was worried.

"Sit down, Stiles."

"What's wrong, Dad?" Stiles said as he rushed over.

"I got the mail today, came home to pick up my dinner which I forgot, and we got some interesting stuff in the mail."

"I did not order porn…or sex toys. It must be a mistake."

The sheriff stared at his son slack jawed not sure how to respond to that. "Good?"

Stiles looked down at the coffee table. "Oh God, these are college letters aren't they?"

"Yes, sit down."

Stiles slumped down onto the seat. "Fuck."

"Language…but yeah fuck."

"Okay, we'll open one each." Stiles reached for two of the envelopes, handing one to his dad and as one they opened them.

"You're in the California State University."

"Good, we can afford that one."

"Stiles!" his dad admonished.

"What? It's true and it is a factor. If you think I am going to go somewhere we cannot afford you are insane." Stiles didn't want to look at his dad, he didn't mind making sacrifices but he didn't want his dad to be hurt by the fact he might have to.

"What does yours say?"

"I got into University of Southern California."

"Did you apply anywhere but California."

"No, you are here dad; who else is going to come and ensure you eat well occasionally?"

His dad leaned over wrapped an arm around him and muttered against his hair. "I love you, Stiles." They both ignored the moment after Stiles returned the phrase, neither comfortable with affection since Stiles' mum had passed.

"You could have gone farther." Sheriff Stilinski said though he was so pleased that Stiles didn't want to run away.

"I didn't want to, Dad. I don't want to go away away just a little away. If there was an option in town I probably would have taken it." Stiles didn't add that while his dad was a huge part of that sentiment the werewolf pack in his life made up the rest of it. "Now, next envelopes."

By some weird unspoken decision they did not open Berkeley until last, his father handing Stiles the envelope. Stiles breathed like Derek had taught him, attempting to get the butterflies in his stomach to calm before ripping the envelope open and shoving the paper at his dad to read.

"You got in."

"Oh thank fuck." Stiles said collapsing back against his father's shoulder.

"Language." They both said together.

"I am proud of you, Stiles, I would have been proud of you regardless but I am so proud of you for getting here, I know how hard it has been sometimes. We should celebrate."

"You have to work." Stiles said hopeful that they could actually go.

"Called Jimmy in when I saw the letters either we were celebrating or eating misery pizza. Regardless it was going to be the two of us."

"Emilio's?"

"Course. I'll call, you go have a shower. You reek."

"Thanks, Dad." Stiles yelled as he ran up the stairs and straight into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later smelling like soap instead of sweat and teenage boy Stiles walked into his room and smacked into Derek's body. His body reacted instantaneously to being pressed against Derek and he tried step to the side but Derek grabbed his upper arms and just looked at him for a minute.

"What?" Stiles asked when Derek released him. He was able to step away and move over to the dresser quickly turning his hips into the wood. Derek followed him and stopped just behind him sniffing the air.

"You were late." Derek grumbled.

"What?" Stiles asked confused for a moment. "Late?"

"We had a trai-"

"Oh shit," Stiles said as he opened the drawer to find some underwear. "I got distracted. I got my university letters today."

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. You are never late."

"I'm sorry, Derek. Dad was here when I got home and then I started to open the letters, I got in to everywhere I applied. Hopefully Berkeley depends on the scholarships I can get but we have a couple meetings lined up." Stiles had to move away to slide the underwear up under his towel before grabbing jeans and a top so he could finally get dressed.

"That's good. So I guess no training tonight." Derek said stepping away.

"No, Dad wants to go out to celebrate. Can we change the day?"

"Don't worry about it. Just come Thursday."

Derek turned and slipped back through the window. "You can use the door." Stiles called after him but he knew nothing would stop the pack from using his window.

Stiles walked downstairs and went to dinner with his dad.

/ / / \ \ \

Thursday came around and Stiles made sure to be early.

"Hey, Derek, what are you torturing me with tonight? Are we going to run until I faint? Are you going to beat me up? Maybe you can hang me from the branches and see if I can escape."

There was no response.

"Derek?" Stiles moved through the building looking for Derek. He was early but not that early. "Derek?"

Stiles found the alpha werewolf out the back of the house at the punching bag beating it so hard that the stuffing was starting to leak out. "Derek."

Derek spun, crouching down and growling before he caught Stiles' scent. Derek pulled the headphones out of his ears his chest heaving and looking angry. "You're early."

"Well I didn't come at all last time." Stiles shrugged. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, just training. Wanted to get some boxing in before you got here."

"Yeah, I tend to flinch and complain if you punch me that hard." Stiles knew there was something wrong with Derek but he figured he was not supposed to have seen this. If in doubt sarcasm and humour to deflect.

"I wouldn't hit you this hard." Derek growled and pulled his iPod out, switched it off and wiped himself down. "I figured we would do a little light hand to hand today. You attack and I will show you some defensive movements."

"Excellent."

Two hours later Stiles was sore, tired and had been able to toss Derek over his shoulder before falling flat on his own arse. He had also been pressed up against Derek so much he might have managed to make all of his anti-erection images actual erection images because he was still hard even thinking about Scott naked which had absolutely always worked in the past. Even thinking about his year three teacher Miss Godfrey who was the most disgusting woman he had ever seen hadn't worked. He was so screwed; completely and utterly screwed.

/ / / \ \ \

It took three weeks to hear back from all the scholarship places he's talked to. Some said yes, other said no. He can get a partial one from Berkeley and a few others that will come with him wherever he goes. It isn't enough and he cannot see any other options, no other places to look into. His dad says he has a few leads but Stiles has resigned himself to USC which he can afford with the scholarships and is a good school, further away but still good.

He told Scott, because his best friend should get to know first. Scott would understand the disappointment and would just allow him to be sad for a while. Scott did, just handed over the controller and allowed Stiles to massacre some zombies.

Derek found out next because at their training session the next afternoon Stiles was still mad. Mad enough to beat the shit out of the new punching bag. Derek demanded to know what was going on.

"I can't go to Berkeley. It's fine. Will be fine. I am just a little disappointed. Sorry." Stiles stopped beating the bag and wiped some sweat from his face.

"Don't apologise. Keep going." Derek stepped back giving up on the training for the evening, letting him attack the punching bag for a while.

Later that night, when Stiles had had a shower upstairs and was sitting with the pack they all found out he got accepted; that he wasn't going.

Stiles just shrugged, pretending it wasn't a big deal. He hated people feeling sorry for him.

"If you want to go to Berkeley, you are going to go." Derek said from behind Stiles.

"I can't." Stiles said without turning around.

"Yes, you can."

"No, I can't."

"You can, Stiles. I want to help you."

"I am not going to." Stiles said firmly. "I don't want your help."

"Why not?" Derek asked grabbing Stiles and spinning him getting frustrated with the way he was being ignored and disagreed with.

"Because Dad and I cannot afford send me so I have decided to go to USC."

"But you want to go to Berkeley."

"Not anymore."

"You're lying."

"Stop reading my pulse!" Stiles barked.

"Stop lying and being stubborn."

"Stop being dictatorial."

"I am the alpha."

"I am human."

"And you are going to Berkeley." Derek knew he was allowing himself to get overly annoyed and he was being irrational but he just could not help himself when faced with Stiles being stubborn and silly.

"No, I'm not!"

"There is no good reason you can't accept my help, so you are going to." Derek growled.

"You cannot tell me what to do!" Stiles growled back.

"I'm the alpha." Scott shrugged at Lydia telling her to just let them go, even after all this time sometimes the two of them just got annoyed at each other. Scott was the first to admit that Stiles could be very annoying. For some reason Stiles was able to get under Derek's skin faster than anyone else and Derek would react more forcefully than he would with anyone else.

"I'm not a werewolf."

"But, you are pack."

"Yeah, except I make my own decisions about things that do not affect the pack."

"I am not making your decisions for you." Derek said exasperated. "I am just trying to get you the decision you want."

"I told you I can't go." Stiles whispered the rest. "I can't afford it."

"You can still go Stiles. I have been thinking about it. I am going to pay for it." Derek said.

"No." Stiles felt the anger and loathing flood his body. He tried not to get more annoyed but it came up on him quickly. "You cannot pay for me. I will not accept it. I'm not going."

"Why not?" Derek asked puzzled.

"Stiles." Scott said with understanding and some warning.

"I will not accept the money. I am going to the University of Southern California. End of story." Stiles stood now fists at his side, so angry he was shaking with it.

"You are going to Berkeley, Stiles." Derek growled.

"No I am not! Dad and I cannot afford the rest of the tuition; the various scholarships will take care of only two-thirds of the cost. I cannot ask dad to give anything up for me, I will happily go to one of the other universities I have been accepted to. And I will not accept your money."

Derek took a deep breath, let it out and tried to calm himself down. "You don't understand, Stiles, you can go."

"Unless you have an inside track with someone who can give a scholarship then no I can't." Stiles wanted to shake Derek so he would understand this would not work. His family was not rich, not poor, but not rich, unlike Derek.

"I want to pay for it." Derek said calmly.

"But, I don't want you to. Leave it alone." Stiles said growling low and making the three betas sit forward surprised at the noise coming from Stiles' mouth. He opened and closed his mouth not sure how to explain to the man that his idea was so far from acceptable it was painful.

"Why?" Lydia asked from the couch reminding the two men, who stood barely twenty centimetres apart, that there were other people in the room.

"Derek cannot pay for me. I will not accept money from him. Not like that." Stiles looked to Scott silently begging him to help explain; Scott would understand.

"That's how the pack works." Derek growled out.

"Well it is not how I work." Stiles ground out unbelievably annoyed at Derek for thinking he could just order him around.

"You are part of the pack." Derek did not understand why Stiles was being so damned stubborn.

"I know. I love being part of the pack, but I cannot let you do this, Derek." Stiles' eyes were pleading with him, begging him to let this idea go. Derek didn't understand, couldn't possibly understand why Stiles was so opposed to this.

Derek responded with a growl that had the three other wolves in the room suddenly tense but Stiles just turned and left the house.

"He doesn't like pity. It makes him feel trapped and angry." Scott said when the sound of the jeep had faded but the oppressive feeling of the room just kept growing.

"Why?" Derek didn't speak; nothing made him angrier than Stiles and the anger and frustration rolling off of him meant he wouldn't be able to say anything for a while. They all knew him well enough to know when the change is coming, when the wolf was just under the surface. They knew you just needed to let whoever it was be until they had themselves under control. He would be listening but actually talking to him, trying to get him to respond would result in either damage to the house or a lot of dead game.

"When Mrs Stilinski died she'd been sick for years. That's how we met; mum was her nurse and she invited Stiles over one day so his parents could have a day together; she was in remission at the time. Stiles walked in and punched me on the arm, saw my collection of games and we started to play. We basically lived together for years floating between the houses and families and then Mrs Stilinksi got really sick and the doctors all told her she wasn't going to live. I didn't see much of Stiles for a while. He spent all his time with his mum. That was when we got into a huge fight. You apologise to people who are losing someone, that's what Mum always did so I said sorry, he punched me and we wrestled and fought. I broke his nose, he gave me a black eye. It was brutal. His dad pulled us apart and yelled at us both for about half an hour while Mum patched us up and then she started telling us off too. Then we both went into the hospital and his mum just pulled us onto the bed and hugged us both tight. She told us not to mistake pity for caring. I had no idea what the hell she was talking about. She was dead three months later and that's when it got really bad. Everyone pitied him, poor little Stiles with the dead mum. His dad was so devastated he didn't handle it well. Stiles basically lived with us. He got into a lot of fights, threw a lot of tantrums. It was really bad. There is nothing he hates more than pity."

"And he sees Derek's offer as pity." Lydia asked.

"Yep."

"So basically we just told him the safest place in the world for all of us pities him." Lydia, of course, got it, said it in a way that could get through to Derek.

"I am surprised he reacted so calmly." Scott said watching Derek closely.

Stiles was still annoyed when he got home but his dad grabbed his arm and made him explain what was wrong. Stiles had no way to explain that the man he was in love with, who was the leader of the wolf pack he was a human member of, had offered to make all his dreams come true and he would get to actually go to Berkeley but he could not say yes because he cannot accept pity from Derek, from the pack, at all because it was everything Stiles hated and that pity took his back to being young and losing his mother.

He made up a fight with Derek, his older friend whose house he was helping rebuild as an apology for claiming he was a murderer. The older friend who had repeatedly come to dinner to make his dad feel okay about allowing his son and Scott to go and help.

His dad just smiled at him knowingly, okay so Stiles sucked at hiding his feelings and his dad had always known he was be a little…un-straight. He'd just mumbled he didn't care when he'd accidently found Stiles jerk off material, mainly girly magazines with one or two magazines that had men on their covers. Before Derek, they had all been girly magazines and honestly the gay magazines don't really do it for him by themselves, sometimes he just imagines Derek in the situations that are in the magazines. Stiles shook his head; he should be focussing. Stiles forced himself to pay attention to his dad who was still grinning at him.

"He pissed me off is all. Hopefully by now Scott has explained why I was so damn annoyed."

"That bad."

"Yeah."

"Need me to talk to him."

"Oh God, Dad, I'm eighteen, I can handle it."

"I have an interview with a group that does scholarships for cops kids tomorrow. I need the documents, letters, everything."

"Thanks, Dad." The hug is quick and tight then Stiles ran upstairs.

When Stiles made it inside his room he found Derek perched on the window sill. Stiles sighed; he had wanted to just crash, forget dinner or homework he just wanted this day to be over.

"I don't pity you, Stiles." Derek's voice was quiet and calm.

Stiles just looked at Derek, thank God Scott explained. Of course, this was the time that Derek came to explain something or talk about it. Normally, they both just ignored the problem, fixed the behaviour and tried to be better next time. That or Stiles went and ambushed Derek so he could chatter until he fixed the problem or Derek gave in. But this time, when things were awkward and embarrassing and Stiles just wanted to ignore it all Derek appeared in his room to talk about it.

"The thing you don't seem to understand about pack is that if one member of the pack needs something, that you have and do not need you give it to them. You needed help, money, I have more than I need and I make more every day. So it makes sense that I would give you some of it. I didn't mean anything by it. I would give anything to any of you that you need; it is my role and responsibility as alpha."

"I cannot...I can't…I just. Thank you, but no."

"Okay, if you change your mind the offer will always be there."

"Why don't you go back?" Stiles said when Derek turned to leave.

"Back where?" This time Derek came all the way in and sat on the bed.

"To university, I know that's where you were before Laura-" Stiles didn't finish the sentence just like he never did when talking about his mum.

"Because I have a pack, I can't desert you all."

Stiles suddenly had a thought. "Can we even go?"

"Of course. So long as everyone comes back regularly. Some pack leaders would say no, would keep you all here but I know Scott is going close, Lydia is too damned smart to keep her here and Jackson is calmer now but he needs to grow up. We will always be pack but sometimes you need to stretch your legs a bit."

"You are nothing like the alphas I have pictured in my head."

"The only alpha I knew was my dad, he had alliances with some other packs close by but he was always fair, kind. I know there are alphas who are incredible dictatorial and let their betas and omegas have no say in anything. That is not how dad acted; he always said that the alpha needed to look after his or her pack. My responsibility is not just ensuring the pack is safe from hunters, humans and other pack's attempts at taking their territory. My main focus has to be keeping the pack happy. I know you all want to go to college, I know you all need to do it. So I want you all to go."

"Is that what I am? An omega?" It was the first time in over a year that Stiles had an opportunity to ask the question that had been lurking in his brain since Derek had confirmed he was a part of the pack. He never felt like less than Scott, Jackson or Lydia in the pack and none of them made him feel like that either but he wasn't a beta, obviously.

"No." Derek was wearing his uncommunicative face but Stiles had to ask anyway.

"So what am I?"

"You are pack."

"Oh well, that explains everything then." Stiles threw the pen he'd been playing with at Derek and then froze as it bounced off his forehead but the alpha just chuckled.

"I miss you flinching whenever I walked past." Derek said with a shake of his head.

"Well, you don't shove me against walls anymore." Stiles ignored the fact his missed being shoved into things.

"You are less annoying."

"That's a lie; I am just as annoying as I ever was. You just like me now." Stiles put on his best smile.

"I do." Derek looked way too serious so he must be being sarcastic but Stiles just kept grinning.

"Where did you go to school anyway?"

"Berkeley." Derek grins now.

"Course."

"Stiles, pizza's here." His dad's voice floated up from downstairs.

"Want to stay for dinner, Derek?"

"Nah, best be off. 'Night, Stiles."

Derek was on the roof when Stiles talked again. "I picked Berkeley because my mum went there."

"So did mine." Derek said before jumping off the roof.

/ / / \ \ \

Lydia was pre-accepted to Caltech and MIT; she made a pro/con list. It will be Caltech though…after all, it was closer.

Scott was going to the closest California State University campus a half hour away; he had never been good at studying. Though if he managed to get his grades up he might be able to go to USC in second year.

Jackson got a lacrosse scholarship to University of Southern California.

Now, Stiles just needed to convince Derek to go back to university and finish getting his degree in the subtle art of growling.

They needed to have a pack meeting so Stiles rang the rest of the pack.

/ / / \ \ \

Stiles' dad was able to get more money from the Policeman's Scholarship Fund. It got them most of the way there, but it will be tight – too tight. Stiles wanted to say no but his dad had already sent the acceptance letter in and told Stiles it was happening. Stiles would find a job, it's not a good idea because of the ADHD, but he would make it work. When Stiles saw Derek for their next training session he told him the good news, he was careful not to say that they were still short of money. One argument this fortnight was enough.

"De-rek," Stiles panted as he dropped onto the ground.

"What?" Stiles glared at Derek who was not even a little puffed after the ten kilometre run he had just been forced into.

"Why don't you go back to university next year? Finish your degree." Stiles ran through the deep breathing exercises Coach Cupcake, thank you dad, had taught everyone.

Derek didn't say anything just looked at Stiles for a moment before pulling his shirt over his head. All the breathing exercises in the world were pointless when faced with shirtless Derek; Stiles lost his breath again, Derek remained silent and dove into the lake that they had run to.

"Derek?"

"Swimming, Stiles." Derek said with his back turned.

"Okay." Stiles left it, pulling his own shirt off and getting in the water as quickly as possible to avoid being shirtless in front of Derek for too long. He was only conscious of his own overly lean torso when faced with the sheer wall of muscle that was Derek.

They swam around to both cool off and exercise before running the 'short way' back to Derek's house, only two kilometres. Stiles didn't broach the subject of Derek going back to university until they were both back at Derek's; showered and dressed. They were sitting on the couch in front of the TV watching something trashy when Stiles brought it up again.

"Derek?"

"Yes, Stiles?"

"Come to Berkeley with me."

Derek turned and looked at Stiles his eyes closed off but searching.

"Please, it will be good. I will be there and you can finish your degree. In whatever you are studying. I think it would be good for you. I know you said that we needed to grow and needed to go to university but I think you need to go back just as much as we need to go at all, Derek. You had to leave and it sucked but I think your family would want you to finish. I think you need to do something for yourself. You have fixed this place, and it is a great start; you are healing and I think we are helping. God I hope we are helping," Stiles couldn't stop even if he wanted to but he stopped himself from saying how much he hoped _he _was helping. "What happened sucked and nothing will make it okay but you have a new pack. We are your family now too. I…we want you to do what makes you happy. You deserve to be happy Derek and being home without us will just make you lonely again. So please, come to Berkeley with me."

"Okay."

"Really?"

"Yes, I will come you make a good argument."

Stiles launched forward and wrapped his arms around Derek, so happy that being tactile in a pack was more than just okay it was expected. "I am so happy about this. We are going to have a great time."

"What am I getting myself into?" Derek mumbled into Stiles' neck.

"Awesomeness." Stiles said when he pulled away with a grin. Derek smiled back at him and they turned back to the TV.

/ / / \ \ \

A week later Stiles got a call from a woman named Janie who said he was the inaugural recipient of the Hale Family Memorial Scholarship. He was polite on the phone but as soon as he hit the end call button his body flooded with anger and he stomped out to the jeep to drive over to Derek's house. When he got there Lydia was sitting on the front porch and handed Stiles an envelope.

"The scholarship is legitimate. For any student who wants to attend Berkeley from any of the schools in the area. The selection criteria is all legal, Derek has committed to providing it for the next ten years to any student in Beacon Hills regardless of the school they attend. All the info is in there. Derek is in San Francisco for a couple days talking to some guy who used to know his father who might know something about that wolf that attacked you two a couple of months ago. Bye," she brushed a kiss to his cheek and disappeared in a breeze of perfume.

Stiles checked everything out, the scholarship_ was_ legitimate. Someone else would get it next year. He had told Derek that if he knew someone who could get him a scholarship he would take it. So Derek checkmated him. He had no choice but to take the money now.

When Derek got home Stiles drove over straight away and thanked Derek before calling him conniving and manipulative. Derek laughed and shrugged at him before telling him to run to the stream and back to warm up.

**/ / /**


	6. Accounting

**06 - OMITARW – 10 – Accounting (Summer after 03)**

"What are you studying at uni, Derek?" Allison asked from her perch on the log next to the lake where Jackson and Scott were mucking around.

"Accounting." Derek replied as he threw a bottle of water at Stiles who watched it fly past his head and then looked at the ripples it made in the water.

"Accounting?" Stiles asked with a squeak.

"Yeah." Derek walked over and placed the bottle in his hand this time while Scott grabbed the one in the lake and drank from it.

_Holy crap, I'm in love with the world's only hot accountant,_ Stiles thought before opening the bottle and drinking half of it in one go. He knew he should not find the fact he was studying to be an accountant so unbelievably sexy.

He needed to go for a swim.

In the cold lake.

Now.

**/ / / **


End file.
